Monday, August 24, 2015

CB 118455 – All-Gender Restrooms Ordinance

On behalf of the Greater Seattle Business Association
(GSBA), we are writing to express our strong support for CB 118455. This
important legislation will help ensure that transgender and gender
nonconforming people have safe and equal access to restroom facilities in City
buildings and other places of public accommodation in Seattle.

CB 118455 will advance this goal in a cost-effective manner
by:

·Providing that single-occupant restrooms in City
buildings and places of public accommodation may not be restricted to a
specific sex or gender identity, and must use appropriate signage to indicate
that such facilities are designated for use by any person.

·Explicitly specifying that when places of public
accommodation have gender-specific restrooms or other gender-specific
facilities, individuals have the right to use the facilities that are
consistent with their gender identity or expression.

·Updating and clarifying the definition of the
term “gender identity” in the Seattle Municipal Code.

As the nation’s largest LGBT and allied chamber of commerce,
the GSBA strongly supports this effort to protect the civil rights of
transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. These protections are
also good for Seattle businesses. They will help ensure that transgender
and gender nonconforming people – a large and growing community in the Seattle
area – will be able to patronize Seattle businesses without fear that they will
be denied access to appropriate restroom facilities. As a result, we
would expect this ordinance will promote increased patronage of Seattle
businesses by transgender and gender nonconforming customers.

Thank you for your consideration of our views and for the
Council’s leadership on this important issue.